


To Kill a Prophet

by BEB0P105



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action/Adventure, Delta Halo, Gen, Halo 2, ODSTs, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers - Freeform, Regret, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 23:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14151831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BEB0P105/pseuds/BEB0P105
Summary: Daemon Puskas, a sergeant in the UNSC, accompanies the renowned Master Chief as they fight their way through the Covenant horde occupying Installation 05 to assassinate the High Prophet of Regret, in this five or six-part retelling of the first half of Halo 2's second act.





	To Kill a Prophet

_Surprisingly ancient in their methodology, the art of the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper is not a recent concept. Dating back to the second world war of twentieth century earth, ODSTs were more commonly known as paratroopers. They would jump from the loading bays of large, deafeningly loud, and often mechanically unsound cargo planes into hostile terrain on the orders of their superiors, using only canvas chutes. Nowadays, orbital drop troopers still leap from aircraft. However the most common approach to the battlefield is in a single-occupant pod made of lead foil and titanium, and coated in a ceramic skin to protect the passenger as they throttle into a planet's atmosphere._

_Even more commonly is this pod considered a tomb; The expected lifespan of a helljumper doesn't extent much further after passing boot camp, as these re-entry vehicles are defenseless while they make their clustered descent. A dozen fates may meet the man, woman, other identified or lack thereof before, after, and even as the drop pod lands..._

_Ask a helljumper-- ANY  helljumper, if there's anything that can be said about what it's like to drop back into the atmosphere. They will most certainly tell you that, while plummeting in a titanium pod at terminal velocity, in spite of the re-entry vehicle's violent shaking, the increasing temperature, or searing orange-red flames engulfing the outside... Your breathing becomes much  more noticeable. It's heavy, and slow. Staccato, even. In the time it actually takes for the drop pod to go to ground, it never really feels that long; There's very little time to prepare for the job at hand when the hatch violently bursts off, and you jump out to shoot the first nonhuman biped with a plasma weapon in its hands._

 

* * *

 

For Daemon Puskas, a sergeant in the UNSC, this couldn't be any more true. That's how it always was. For the sixteen years he'd been a Helljumper, he never quite got used to the re-entry aspect in this particular line of work. As the hatch of his pod rocketed away, he followed shortly after it, an M7 Submachine gun in hand. He frantically scanned around, looking down sight with his primary weapon and joining with another ODST that dropped not too far from him. 

  
"The Chief is just up this way, sergeant! What's our orders?" She asked.  
  
_'Oh, right.'_  Daemon noted. _'I'm in charge here.'_   He broke into a light sprint up the hill. "Pelicans are right behind us! Clear this  _Ell-Zee!_   Let's not keep the Master Chief waiting, corporal."  
  
Daemon was quick to spot the heavily armoured soldier exchanging fire with a pair of SMGs as he and corporal Fraser took cover behind a drop pod. Heavy plasma fire from a Type-27 Shade turret pounded at the pair's defence. Fraser peered out from the safety of the pod and fired half a clip's worth of bursts from her battle rifle, managing to pick off a Grunt and a Jackal before retreating behind cover again. Daemon gave suppressing fire for the Spartan across from his position. Fraser gestured at the nearest Shade its emplacement on a ramp-led hill right above them, to their right. The Chief nodded in compliance and set down his weapons, drawing the M41 SSRrocket launcher he was storing on his back.   
  
While Daemon drew its fire and corporal Fraser distracted the forces in the courtyard of what appeared to be temple ruins, the Master Chief took a couple of seconds to aim and steadied himself. The Shade turret exploded, and its occupant was obliterated when the missile came into contact with it. Satisfied with a job well done, the Chief then turned once again and unleashed the second missile on another turret to the ODSTs' left; A distant shot, but a successful one. When finished, the Spartan looked to Daemon, whom of course nodded in approval.   
  
"We've got one more turret left, sergeant." The Master Chief announced over the sound of plasma and gunfire.  
  
"Better than three, Master Chief." Daemon applauded. "Sound work, but I've got a man pinned down, close to the ruins; He'll have more ammo for you."   
  
The Spartan nodded in affirmation, fixing the empty rocket launcher to his armour's back plating and retrieving the pair of SMGs he'd set down just minutes earlier.   
  
"Alright, now's when we push!" Daemon declared. He nudged Fraser, who gave a nod of compliance and reloaded her rifle. He looked at the Master Chief, again. "Spartan, you take point on my mark."  
  
"Affirmative."  
  
"Alright..." Daemon checked his SMG-- fully reloaded. "Mark!"  
  
The Spartan turned out of his cover, both submachine guns filling the lines of fire with hot lead. He successfully killed a trio of Grunts, a Jackal, and wounded an Elite Minor when Fraser and Daemon decreed that it was relatively safe to exhume themselves from behind the empty drop pod. There was little resistance; Fraser claimed most of the kills while Daemon let out a short burst from his weapon, then took notice of a deceased shock trooper, slumped in his seat. The fallen trooper's visor was polarized, allowing Daemon to see the emptiness of his eyes. He shook his head and mournfully took the man's battle rifle, side arm, and shoved the spare magazines in his rucksack before rejoining the rest of the group.

A new ODST joined the trio; private Nahdee, sans helmet and holding the same model of rifle as corporal Fraser. He was a man of aboriginal descent, with perpetually squinting eyes and a Mohawk haircut traditional to his tribe. They all crouched down in efforts to avoid another Shade emplacement's barrage of plasma fire. Fraser frequently popped out from the safety of the small roofed structure that was housing them, taking the few seconds between assaults to survey the area.

"Thanks for the save, guys. Nice not to end up like Jackson over there." The private gestured over to the pod that Daemon had recently looted.  
  
"The sergeant said you had ammo for this?" The Master Chief asked, using his head to draw attention to his rocket launcher.   
  
Nahdee gave a thumbs up. "Yes sir, Master Chief, sir. Still in my pod."  
  
"We'll cover you while you make a break for that ammo. Might save us in a tricky situation." Daemon added. "Private Nahdee, you and I will try to make it to the structure identical to this one on the other side of this courtyard. Fraser--" He handed her two magazines for her battle rifle. "Make 'em count."  
  
"Depend on it." She assured, taking the magazines and setting them beside her.  
  
Daemon and Nahdee exited out of the rear of the enclosed cover spot. A squad or so of Covenant units had to be left. At least two of those members had to be Elites, from the sound of the barking and frequent _"worts"_. Both men each tossed a fragmentation grenade in the direction the noise and ran to the closest rock. They then opened fire, clearing out a pair of Jackals and a Grunt; Both Elites had taken cover, but the indigo smears on the grass suggested that one of them had to have been injured by the grenades.  
  
There was no issue with making it to the next enclosed structure, which could be somewhat comparable to a moss covered gazebo made of aging limestone. The Shade turret seemed to be affixed on Fraser. The pair of shock troopers, as well as a like-minded Master Chief, used this opportunity to make their way into the main temple.  
  
The Spartan made short work of an unsuspecting Elite Minor, breaking its elongated neck with ease; The body dropped with a loud thud. Daemon and Nahdee both flanked the injured Elite Major, forcing the hunched creature to let out a battle cry and take a feral swing at Daemon. The sergeant ducked, and lunged his into the Elite with his shoulder, trying to force it to the ground. Indigo blood stained the right side of his helmet, shoulder, and chest. Nahdee assisted his NCO in helping send the Elite down on his backside. Quick with his reflexes, Nahdee let out two three-round bursts from his battle rifle and put the crimson-armoured extraterrestrial out of its misery. The Chief gave an approving nod and gestured inside to a ramp that led to the second level of the main building. The Shade continued to fire on Fraser's position; Likely not hearing the bursts from private Nahdee's weapon.

  
Once inside, all three stopped at the landing in which the direction of the ramp U-turned and continued to the second level, and discreetly formulated a plan. The Master Chief handed Daemon a fragmentation grenade and gestured at the Shade emplacement, then produced a second grenade, likely for good measure. Nahdee nodded twice and stood up slightly to see what the opposition was: Just a single Grunt adorned in green armour, signifying that it was a Heavy _(A low-ranking specialist in the Covenant army.)_. The ODST returned to a crouching position and gave a thumbs up before returning to the back of the landing with Daemon and the Master Chief.

The latter two primed their grenades and tossed them up the ramp, onto the second level. The explosives bounced to their resting place beneath and just behind the Shade turret and its occupant, and then exploded. The three waited to see if the structural integrity of the ruin would hold. Satisfied with the lack of collapsing ceilings, they made their way to the second level and took positions inside. Nahdee waved at Fraser, signalling an unofficial "all-clear" to the designated marksman down below.

 

* * *

  
  
_"Artillery disabled, sergeant. Landing zone secure..."_  Reported Cortana, the artificial intelligence companion of the Master Chief. She'd been silent to the rest of the human troopers since shortly before their drop pods landed. _"For now."_  
  
She spoke through the on-board speaker system of the Master Chief's armour, as well as to the group's superior, sergeant major Avery Johnson.  
  
_"I hear ya."_   Johnson replied over the comms.  _"Starting our approach-- Hang tight."_  
  
"Does that ever get confusing sometimes?" Nahdee asked Daemon, referring to the shared voice of the Spartan's armour. Daemon shrugged. The faint but all-too-familiar whining of Covenant engines caught their ears. "May want to take a rain-check on those Pelicans, Cortana!"  
  
_"Easier said than done."_   She retorted.  _"Phantoms inbound."_  
  
Daemon activated his comm piece. "Fraser, into the structure-- Double time!"  
  
Sure enough, within the next two minutes, a Phantom dropship came to a hover in the centre of the courtyard. Fraser, who had the fortune of accumulating a fallen Jackal's particle beam rifle on her way inside the ruin, had just rejoined the group. The four of them did their best to remain hidden from the Phantom's cross-hairs as it deployed a squad of Covenant troops, then took off again.   
  
"This is our chance-- Open fire!" Daemon ordered, coming out of cover. Fraser decided to conform with the rest of her fellow ODSTs and set down the alien sniper weapon to resume usage of her battle rifle. While they exchanged fire with the ground forces below, the Master Chief took position at the landing, covering the ramp. The firefight ended in a matter of minutes, with the last few stragglers being picked off through the Chief's quick sweep of the area. The distant whine of another drop ship closed in on the temple ruins.   
  
"Aww Hell..." Nahdee groaned. "I don't think we can keep this up, sarge!"  
  
"Just hang in there, Nahdee. I have an idea." Daemon shifted in his place. "Everyone regroup on the top floor."  
  
It was really only the Master Chief who had to rejoin the group. The heavily armoured super soldier towered over the trio before crouching beside them. "What's your plan, sergeant?" He asked, still looming over the ODSTs even as he crouched.  
  
"Glad you asked, Chief. Time to put the rocket launcher to use again." Daemon began. He gestured at the incoming incoming Phantom drop ship, becoming more than a dot on the horizon as the seconds passed. "When they deploy their next batch of uglies, I want you to hit that thing right in the lift. Think you can manage?"  
  
The Chief remained silent for a few seconds, lifting his head to watch the Phantom fly closer, accessing the possibility of such a shot. "Consider it done." He finally  decided, lifting the tubular ordinance device to a fire ready position. "Might want to get clear." He added.  
  
The shock troopers exchanged looks and backed away enough to be clear of the impending back blast. As the gunship closed in and found its drop zone, Daemon and the other troopers found themselves becoming more anxious than they were prior to the plan's conception. The Spartan accompanying them still had yet to squeeze the trigger. He continued to wait for the right opportunity, and the ship itself still felt unsatisfied with its surroundings. Did it know that the human soldiers were still there, continuing to plague this cosmic ring world the found themselves on with their presence?   
  
Finally a smoky purple-white glow emitted from the underside of the craft; That was the opportunity. On cue, the Master Chief depressed the trigger, and a missile launched from one of the barrels of the heavy weapon, leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake. Just as the first troops descended from the Phantom's gravity lift, the missile made contact with the hull.  
  
There was the resulting explosion of purple flame and venting exhaust clouds, the screaming moan from the Phantom's engines giving way, then the drop ship rocked about above the courtyard until crashing into one of the small covered structures in the courtyard. There was another explosion on contact with the structure, then no more functioning Covenant gunship to speak of.  
  
The ODSTs cheered and the Spartan stood up to admire his handiwork. "Area secured, sergeant major." Daemon reported. "You're free to land."

**Author's Note:**

> I feel kinda weird about how I described Nahdee. Like I don't think it's kind of racist but at the same time I do? I just wanted to make a point of not every trooper here being a default caucasian. So like, if anyone reading has any say on how to better describe an aboriginal person by all means PLEASE let me know so I can make the necessary amendments.


End file.
